PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, thank you very much. We've had a very long
and very good discussion on a variety of issues. U.S. and Mexican
relations are very important. And sometimes we in America take those
relations for granted, but we share a large border, we share the same
values, we've got people on both sides of the border, we've got friends and
family members. And it is fitting that you and I have this kind of
conversation.

I want to congratulate you and thank you for your strong leadership. I
appreciate the fact that you inherited a very difficult situation. One,
you inherited the high demand for drugs in the United States. In other
words, people are using drugs, and therefore people are supplying drugs,
and it's caused difficult security problems in your country, and you've
responded aggressively. And I think it's in our interests that we fund the
joint initiative. We got to work hard on our side to make sure that we
reduce our drug use, and at the same time work with you in close
coordination to defeat these drug traffickers.

We need to do -- continue our initiative that we started with -- during
your administration, Mr. President, on dealing with arms trafficking --
arms from the United States into Mexico. We've got a strategy in place and
we're now beginning to implement it. Congress has a chance to send a
strong statement that we want to work in a collaborative fashion with the
money that's going to be in the supplemental. My hope, of course, is they
fully fund the program, and they fund it -- a strategy that will be
effective.

We talked about trade, and how trade has been beneficial to both of our
countries. When you and I grew up in our respective countries, the border
region of Mexico and the United States was very poor. And today when you
go down there, there's prosperity on both sides of the border. A lot of
that has to do with trade; our trade has tripled, and our economies have
grown. And this has been a very positive aspect for both our countries, so
we're going to talk about that, of course, with the Canadian Prime Minister
in our dinner tonight.

But we talked about the need to have a successful Doha Round. We talked
about climate change. We talked about a lot of issues and -- but that's
what you expect friends to do. So I welcome you.

PRESIDENT CALDERÓN: (Speaking Spanish.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: I understood every word. (Laughter.)

PRESIDEN CALDERÓN: (As translated.) Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Thank you so much for your hospitality and for a very long and productive
discussion we had today. As is fitting for the relationship that Mexico
and the United States enjoy, we have been able to discuss a long list of
issues today, because we have a very complex and rich relationship.

We talked first of all, as President Bush said, about security. We talked
about security along our common border, we talked about the common
strategies that we are implementing in order to fight the double scourge of
organized crimes and drug trafficking.

PRESIDENT CALDERÓN: (Speaking English.) The common enemy.

TRANSLATOR: Common enemy -- thank you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT CALDERÓN: (As translated.) We discussed the Merida initiative,
a very important initiative that will allow a common strategy that will
benefit families on both sides -- on the side of Mexico and on the side of
the United States.

I also want to express my appreciation for the work the U.S. government has
begun on the problem of arms trafficking. We know that this is a complex
issue, we know there is much to be done, but a very important first step
has already been made in that direction.

We also discussed the defense of the Mexican administration, of the rights
of our Mexican citizens. And we have also discussed the issue of trade and
how trade is benefiting both of our peoples. I think that I have made it
very clear that as far as I am concerned, trade is an issue that benefits
both sides greatly. It is something that generates jobs both on the U.S.
side and on the side of Mexico. We have seen an enormous increase in
benefits for consumers as a result of trade, as well. We see that the
quality of products in general has gone up as a result of increased trade.

And I stress this issue because recently NAFTA has come under criticism,
and I do not believe that people are realizing how many benefits NAFTA has
brought both to the United States and to Mexico. I can say that hundreds
of thousands of jobs have been created on both sides of the border. As far
as Mexico is concerned, this increase in jobs has also led to a direct
decrease in the amount of immigration from Mexico to the United States. It
has generated growth, it has generated jobs, and it is decreasing the flow
of immigration.

And we have discussed the defense of the rights of Mexican citizens and the
need to increase the way we watch over those rights. This is a very
important issue for my administration. We need to continue working on an
agenda to find a comprehensive solution for that. I understand that the
United States is going through an electoral process and we respect that
process, of course. But I do want to point out that it's very important
for my administration for us to find a solution to this issue --and a
solution that will not just find a way to deal with the immigration
problem, but one that will do so with respect and responsibility.

We also discussed the concern that we have with regard to the increase of
prices of foods around the world, and the public policies that are involved
in finding alternative fuels and how all of this goes into the mix. We
need to face the problem of economies all around the world who have not
been able to deal with this problem very well. In Mexico we have been able
to find solutions, but we are concerned about the situation of other
countries in Latin America that are not faring quite as well.

And, finally, I simply want to say how happy I am to be in the United
States. And I don't want to get ahead of myself, but tonight I will be
extending an invitation, hopefully, to the next President of the United
States to visit us in Mexico next year for this event. And of course,
President Bush will always be a welcome visitor in Mexico.